LAVROV/ TRUMP/ KISLYAK/ TASS WAS PRESENT/ IF ANYTHING UNTOWARD WAS SAID, RUSSIA HAS A TAPE RECORDING

Too many Republicans have been abetting and and enabling a Russian asset who has been living in the White House. No, this is not “fake news, nor a conspiracy theory but a DOSE of reality.

The majority of republican legislators have been in a state of denial about their standard bearer very likely being a Russian asset in their midst because too many have become fearful of antagonizing the republican President Donald J. Trump’s ardent supporters who would follow him if he jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge. Then of course, congressional lawmakers have been counting on the president’s big money backers, and then, there is that marginal tax cut/ reform bill that the right has been dreaming about for years.

The fact that our President Donald Trump repeatedly claims that he does not have direct financial interests in Russia, is immaterial. Outside of Russia, a favorite tool of its spy craft has been to co-opt unwitting foreigners as assets, by becoming financially entangled with them and/ or their businesses.

In short, just as US citizens who become financially involved to where they are indebted with the mafia can expect to be eventually compromised, the same can be said of those dealing with Russians. The U.S. president is no exception.

But republican leaders already know the facts. They read the newspapers. For about two decades, the president has managed to obtain the assistance of Russian monies to the tune of millions of dollars while he had been denied loans/ credit with US banks due to his past bankruptcy filings.

James Clapper

What is worse is that they are not even listening to their own IC commnity leaders like James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence (DNI), who has been sounding the alarms.

As per a 5/14/17 ThinkProgress report, “Clapper says Comey firing is a ‘victory’ for Russia,” by Lindsay Gibbs, “In an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union (5/14/17), Clapper explained his belief that the foundations of our government, particularly our system of checks and balances, are being threatened by Trump’s actions.”

“Well, I will just say that (recent) developments are very bothersome, very disturbing to me,” Clapper said. “I think in many ways, our institutions are under assault externally and that’s the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system. And I think as well our institutions are under assault internally.”

MCCARTHY/ RYAN

(As if the above apathy regarding Russia’s attack on US democracy isn’t shocking enough, the laissez faire attitudes of these republicans are having an impact on how the public now views Russia)

“Behind their neglect are changing Republican voter opinions, which are becoming alarmingly more pro-Russian. According to a Morning Consult-Politico poll conducted in May, 49 percent of Republican voters consider Russia to be either an ally or friendly. Only 12 percent consider it an enemy. In 2015, only 12 percent of Republicans held a favorable view of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Gallup. As of February, that figure had jumped to 32 percent.”

On the positive side, both US House republicans and democrats have overwhelmingly passed a veto proof bill barring the president from arbitrarily lifting any US sanctions imposed against Russia from 2012-2017 without congressional review. This action was taken as it became apparent that the president was leaning towards the lifting of sanctions with little to nothing in return.

Here are a few disconcerting facts for republicans to consider while they resist facing up to the fact that President’s behaviors fit all the descriptions of a Russian asset, and as they downplay the seriousness of Russia’s impact/ harm to the American peoples, exacerbated by their growing distrust towards our democratic governmental institutions:

1.) Deutsche has been our president’s largest creditor for about 2 decades.

2.) “Deutsche Bank has already been fined millions of dollars in January 2017 for laundering Russian dirty monies to the tune of $10 billion dollars via various methods and entities including the Bank of Cypress.”

3.) “The head of Deutsche Bank during this dark period, Josef Ackermann became the chairman of the Bank of Cypress in 2014.”

TRUMP’S PALM BEACH HOME/ SOLD IN 2008

4.) “The largest shareholder of the Bank of Cypress, Dmitry Rybolovlev is the same Russian oligarch who purchased the president’s Palm Beach home in 2008 for the inflated price of $95 million to $100 million dollars when it was appraised 5 years after purchase for about $60 million dollars.”

5.) “Around the time that the Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev purchased the president’s property in Palm Beach in 2008, the president was suing Deutsche Bank in 2008 over a $40 million loan that came due. He claimed that the 2008 downward spiral in property values, due to the US recession was as an “Act of God” which absolved him from having to honor this obligation. Somehow this whole incident was taken care of and Deutsche Bank has continued to loan the president monies.”

Dmitry Rybolovlev

6.) Coincidentally, the newly confirmed US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross became the Vice Chairman of the Bank of Cypress in 2014, but he has stepped down from this role.

As per a 3/23/17 Guardian report by Stephanie Kirchgaessner, “In 2015, Bank of Cyprus announced (pdf) it was offloading the Russian business, including loan exposures, to Avetisyan for €7m. The core assets had been purchased for €450m in 2008. Deutsche Bank’s London office advised Bank of Cyprus on the deal. ““One of Ross’s first big decisions at the bank was the appointment of former Deutsche Bank chief executive Josef Ackermann as chairman. Ackermann’s ties to Russia were strong, including a warm relationship with Putin and Herman Gref of Sberbank.”

“In a separate management decision under Ross’s watch, Bank of Cyprus gave Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest private bank, until 2019 – four more years than originally planned – to pay back a €100m debt it owed in connection to Alfa’s purchase of the bank’s Ukrainian assets. Alfa Bank still owed Bank of Cyprus €57m as of the end of September. “

7.) The Bank of Cypress has a lengthy history of laundering Russian dirty monies which had supposedly been corrected. However, a 2/2/17 EUobserver article by Andrew Rettman reports the following:

“Pieter Omtzigt, from the christian-democrat CDA party, put forward the criticism in a letter, on Saturday (January 30, 2017), to a financial crimes unit in The Council of Europe in Strasbourg.”

Sergei Magnitsky

“Recent developments in Cyprus in relation to the Magnitsky case have shown the failure of Cyprus to apply money laundering legislation in practice,” he said.”

“This case is a litmus test for whether Cyprus is now really paying attention to proper controls or whether it is only paying lip service to recommendations.”

8.) In addition, the reason that the highly esteemed US prosecutor, Preet Bharara may have been fired by the White House in March 2017 after he had been promised he could continue in his position under the Trump administration, was because he had been in charge of pursuing a legal case against the Deutsche Bank for its Russian money laundering schemes.

9.) And he also may have been fired because of a case involving the 2012 Magnitsky Act. In 2013, Mr. Bharara announced he would indict 11 companies, lead by a corrupt Russian bank named Prevezon, that was involved in Magnitsky’s investigation and part of the scheme to launder $230 million in Russia. These companies fought the legal charges for years with a team that included Natalia Veselnitskaya and thanks to their legal maneuvers, the trial date was delayed to the summer of 2017 when it was settled for pennies on the dollar.

10.) All of the above does not include a myriad of other signs, like the president’s consistent and frequent favorable rhetoric towards Russia, during his campaign and administration; the watering down of the July 2016 republican platform wording pertaining to the arming of Ukrainian citizens, consistent with Russia’s own internal policy; the numerous contacts by the president’s surrogates with Russian officials which were admitted to/ recalled only after media exposure. Then there was the June 9, 2016 Trump Towers controversial meeting, attended by the Russian attorney representing Prevezon and who had a history of advocating for the lifting of 2012 sanctions against Russia based on the Magnitsky Act along with the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and the then president’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort.

Details of Russia’s spycraft…

On 1/2/15, Edward Lucas of The American Interest.penned an opinion piece for the website “StopFake.org, ‘Russia’s Sub Rosa Statecraft.”

Excerpts:

“Western countries habitually underestimate the capabilities of the Russian intelligence services. These are indeed wasteful, corrupt, bureaucratic, nepotistic, and blinkered. But they have some big advantages. For a start, their top priority is subverting and penetrating Western societies. The reverse is not the case: It is not the West’s top priority either to penetrate Russia or to prevent Russia from penetrating it.”

“Russian espionage operates on different principles. The agencies there spend large amounts of time and money building up long-term assets, with little concern for an immediate payoff. If you recruit a bright Danish student, it may be twenty years before he becomes useful. But when he does, the consequences will be devastating. Russia is also far better at operating what in espionage parlance are known as “false flag” operations, in which the target is recruited under the guise of a different cause, perhaps involving environmentalism or digital freedom.”

“Abundant resources and ruthless ingenuity mean that the Russian espionage adversary is a shape-shifter: In one manifestation it may be a legitimate-seeming energy company, then a curious student apparently from a NATO country, then a jovial official from the Russian embassy, then a supposedly independent charitable outfit offering a large donation to anyone who conducts the right research, then a hard-working secretary, then a Portuguese business consultant. This gives Russia what American intelligence theorists call “natural capacity”: the ability to operate in the guise of a legitimate business or organization. For Western intelligence agencies, this involves formidable legal and bureaucratic obstacles. Russia adopts it without a qualm.”

“For more than twenty years, the West has tried to integrate Russia—diplomatically, financially, economically, and institutionally. True, Western policymakers have accepted (belatedly in many cases) that Russia is an authoritarian kleptocracy. True, many also accept (reluctantly and tentatively in many cases) that it is a revanchist power that menaces its neighbors. But few are willing to accept the seriousness of the threat and give it the priority it deserves. These days it is one threat among many.”

Reblogged this on Scotties Toy Box and commented:
This is important information. I knew most of this, but not all of it. I enjoy following the news. So if some was new to me, I am sure it will be to a lot of people. I think it is an important read if you are at all hazy on this subject. Hugs

He brings up an interesting point, Trump’s actions are very suspect, but did he or his administration actually commit a crime?

Yes Trump has had dealings with many Russians in the past, but is that really illegal, and is his position as President really compromised by Russian influence? Has anybody come up with definitive proof? I’m still waiting on the IC to release evidence of Russia tampering with the election and hacking into Hillary’s emails.

Thanks for the reference. I have followed Jonathan Turley in the past but now I follow a couple of other legal minds. Early on I might have agreed with his premise but that is no longer the case.

I’m afraid that we are going to have to respectfully disagree on this one.

What everyone who has reviewed the intelligence data (some of whose judgement I am comfortable relying on) indicates that there is no doubt that Russia hacked into the DNC website, the US State Department, and the computer system owned by John Podesta.

The president along with his most ardent supporters are the only ones I know of, who are still denying this reality. But of course, the Russians would state that they agree that they had nothing to do with hacking US entities.

It is the president’s continued denial of this truth despite overwhelming evidence that has convinced me that he is indeed, a Russian asset.

Gronda, you misunderstand, I actually agree with you 100% that Trump is in collusion with the Russians, he knowingly had help from Russian intelligence via Kremlin hackers who dumped Hillary’s emails onto WikiLeaks, as confirmed by political analyst Lada Ray’s revealing report.

My contention is, if an independent analyst like Lada Ray can come up with definitive proof, then why can’t our “brilliant” intelligence community come up with the same proof against Trump, with all their unlimited resources, surveillance and power?! Why not just come out and tell the truth, put an end to this charade?

Alas, as Lada Ray deduced, the IC has been compromised! All 17 federal agencies that make up US intelligence should be formidable, above reproach, partisan politics and coercion.

As seen by FBI Director Comey’s behavior and subsequent action, he is anything but. As you stated, Comey personally affected the course of our national election due to investigating Hillary at the most inopportune time.
He should have postponed the investigation until after the election, so his timing is certainly suspect. Lada believes he and the whole IC has been corrupted by foreign influence, money, and political favors. This all points to Trump, but he’s putting on a dog and pony show misleading the US public while actually pulling the strings of our military, IC, and Congress.

Just follow the money! After the election, why did Trump praise the CIA and FBI, held a ceremonial meeting promising full support from the White house, possibly EXPANDING these agencies?
Why did Trump announce to pledge $54 billion in defense spending hike, while campaigning for military reduction around the world?

Trump is a real power player and he knows how to pull strings, nobody becomes a billionaire just playing by the rules. In the early 80’s, he took over gambling and casinos along Atlantic City by bribing the Italian mafia, public officials and eliminating his enemies. Today he’s taken it to a global scale by colluding with the Russian mafia (Putin and the Kremlin) to dominate world politics and consolidate power.

This was all planned decades ago, when Trump entertained becoming President and infiltrated the Republican party, why do you think he has such absolute devotion and support from his party despite his irrational and blatant shortcomings? King Trump now has dominion over this country and it’s up to us peasants to take him down. Trump is most definitely a Russian asset, the same as Putin being an American asset. What we all seem to overlook is: it’s always been the haves vs the have-nots. And Trump has been installed to keep it that way!

Bill and Hillary had plenty of dirty dealings with Russians as well. Bill, Hillary,Trump, Putin are all cut from the same cloth, they are power players in the international arena. Money is the name of the game. Just follow the money….

We are destined to respectfully disagree again. Why can I be so firm about this?

There is a reason that the Russian President Vladimir Putin invested so much treasure towards the demise of HRC. This, is because she could not be bought to render decisions in favor of Russia to the level that Mr. Trump has indicated in all of his commentaries.

President Trump has been bought and frankly, if he were not bound by already US executed sanctions against Russia; with the hard line congressional representatives and the IC community blocking him, he would have already lifted all US sanctions against Russia.

Based on this data, there is no comparison or any reasonable measure of equivalency between the president and the HRC camps.

As for the IC community, I simply cannot buy into Lada Ray’s premise at this point.

I see your line of reasoning and it makes sense, HRC is not perfectly innocent, but she’s miles ahead of Trump.
I certainly agree with you that Putin targeted Hillary and endorsed Trump mainly b/c he could not influence HRC in a way that would be favorable to Russia, and Trump is compromising figure that would make deals if mutually favorable to both Putin and Trump’s bank accounts.

Lifting sanctions is practically a done deal, it’s just a matter of time according to Lada Ray. The recent meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and ambassador Sergei Kislyak proved very “enlightening”.

“We had a very, very good meeting with Mr. Lavrov, and I thought it was very good,” Trump said. In a later statement, the White House said Trump “further emphasized his desire to build a better relationship between the United States and Russia.”

Lavrov sought to blame the recent acrimony on former President Barack Obama.

Lifting sanctions is not a done deal. General McMaster, General Mattis, General Kelly, IC community, hardliners like Sen McCain and Sen Graham will not allow for lifting of sanctions under current circumstances. Both DDT and Rex Tillerson want this but they are blocked by those who don’t agree.

The Russians do not get the US culture. Both DDT and Mr. Tillerson do not have the power on their own to make this happen. Of course, these two business people find this very frustrating but sanctions will not be lifted without Russia backing out of Ukraine or coming to some resolution satisfactory to all parties.

The right has created a lot of fake stories out there in the blogosphere about Hillary Clinton’s dealings with Russia but just about all of it has been debunked by credible fact checkers. This premise is born out by the Russians having a clear understanding that she could not be budged to do as Russia would like unless there was a definite benefit to US interests and our allies.

Republicans acting with hypocrisy is an understatement If a democrat were in the WH, impeachment proceedings would have been started months ago. They crucified HRC for much lesser sins than the president. Are these the same peoples?

The president has been attempting to argue that his past financial dealings are out of bounds for the FBI Special Counsel to investigate. But it is his long term financial dealings with Russians is the key to explaining his current behaviors.

Thanks a million times over for all of your support and for the reblogs.

Putin has now been emboldened by his success in the USA to where he is exporting these same nefarious activities around the world. We should be leading the fight against Russia’s intrusion into US and our allies’ politics but instead “we the people” have to contend with our US president.